Pundit slams Diomande, urges changes in Sporting defence | OneFootball

In an exclusive interview with Leonino, José Pina discussed the current state of Sporting, as well as the pressures from Porto on Fábio Veríssimo. Regarding Rui Borges' choices, the commentator and fan of the Alvalade Club offered some criticism of Ousmane Diomande and called for reinforcements in the winter market.

Concerning Frederico Varandas' speech at the Gala Rugidos de Leão, the scriptwriter explains that it was imperative to take a stand, given the noise from rivals: "A response had to be given, especially to the President of Porto, but I would have used different words. I wouldn't use terms like 'mustiness'. I would say something more current. It could have been more subtle and sophisticated, but it had to be addressed. Our rivals can't do whatever they want. I don't even know how there wasn't a serious punishment because of the case with Fábio Veríssimo. It's almost psychological torture," he begins by saying.

The scriptwriter then focused on the gaps in the leonine squad: "I'm starting to see problems in defense there. We should have a central defender who is a credible alternative. Gonçalo Inácio hasn't been doing very well. Diomande has been terrible. Quaresma is good, but... Apart from injuries, we need a central defender. We're conceding goals that we shouldn't have," he emphasizes, still believing that the Alvalade Club remains a favorite for the title.

"At the moment, Sporting is a favorite. I don't know if it's the main one, but it's a favorite. It is the champion in titles, and that gives encouragement to the other rivals. There are three points difference to the first place. Porto is doing better than I expected, and Benfica worse," he states.

José Pina also downplayed the criticism directed at Rui Borges, namely that he doesn't have the "intellectual level" to lead a Club of Sporting's stature: "What matters to me is that the coach knows how to read the game and can get the team to play attractive football. Jorge Jesus is not a master of linguistics and yet gets teams to play football. The team is playing reasonably well. I notice that in big games, things don't work the same way. Against Benfica and Porto, Sporting never seems better to me. That's the only remark to make about Rui Borges. So, it's to continue and forget about this 'intellectual level' thing," he concludes.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.